Pay raises coming for city council after four years of rejecting hike

Updated February 22, 2017 at 8:54 AM;Posted February 22, 2017 at 8:15 AM

Jackson non-discrimination ordinance

People line up to speak at the Jackson City Council meeting held at the Michigan Theatre, 124 N. Mechanic St., on Tuesday, February 7, 2017. The council was hearing comment and voting on a a proposed non-discrimination ordinance. The ordinance passed by a 5-2 vote after over five hours of public comment. (J. Scott Park | Mlive.com)
(J. Scott Park)

JACKSON, MI - The mayor and six city council members will receive a combined $16,500 in raises during the next two years.

After rejecting recommended pay raises for the last four years, Jackson City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday, Feb. 21, in favor of accepting a recommendation from the Local Officers Compensation Commission to receive raises.

Two-thirds of the council had to vote against it to reject the raises.

Mayor Bill Jors, Arlene Robinson, Freddie Dancy and Daniel Greer voted in favor, while Derek Dobies, Craig Pappin and Andrew Frounfelker voted against. Jors was the only member to speak about the topic during the meeting discussion.

"This is not a vote to give ourselves raises," Jors said. "It's a vote to accept the (LOCC) report."

The vote does result in raises, however, said City Manager Patrick Burtch after the meeting. The topic does not have to return before council, the recommendations are adopted in 30 days.

The mayor receives a $2,000 hike in 2017 and another $1,000 in 2018. The mayor's salary hasn't been raised in the past eight years, sitting at $11,750. It equates to a 25.5-percent raise from 2016 to 2018.

City council members receive an additional $1,500 in 2017 and $750 in 2018. Their pay hasn't been raised in the past six years, sitting at $7,850. This equates to a 28.7-percent increase from 2016 to 2018.

Reasons for the recommended raises were not stated by the LOCC in the city council agenda packet.

Pappin disagreed, saying he performs duties on city council for the same reason he worked in the military for nearly 35 years - service.

"The compensation that we receive at this point certainly compensates me for any of the costs that result from going to events and going out and doing stuff," Pappin said. "I think that's sufficient. I was not in favor of an increase for that reason. It's about service."

In a separate recommendation from the LOCC, city council also raised the city treasurer's salary by 2.5 percent in both 2017 and 2018.